What makes BabyShark so successful in the global market?

South Korea’s BabyShark has surpassed 1.6 billion views on YouTube. They were recently featured on The Ellen Show and The Late Show with James Corden. The character and songs were created by a children’s education company from South Korea called SMARTSTUDY. What makes them so successful in the global market? They first produce content in English, then translate into over 11 languages including Korean, Japanese, Spanish, Russian, Mandarin, and Thai. A multi-lingual version takes on average of two months to produce and adapt in consideration of the language and local culture. For example, for the Chinese version, they work with studios in Shanghai and Beijing. Translations are done in real time and local adjustments are made for each version. Takeaway = Don’t just produce content in English put it on YouTube and hope it will fly in other markets. Take time to adapt, get the local translation done locally (not via Google translate) and acknowledge local cultural nuances.